Quote Originally Posted by Absimiliard View Post
What we do know is that tempering is not necessarily a voluntary action on the part of primals. Even Ramuh, who opposes the practice, found that he could not prevent it from happening.
And yet Shiva and Alexander managed not to temper anyone around them, so clearly some amount of control is available.

Zodiark could well have tempered them without actually meaning to.
Tempered them to do what? Everything the Ascians have done involved tremendous death and suffering and chaos, just to prepare the shards and the Source to do their sacrifice to Zodiark. As in, there is no indication that all the deaths and literal world-ending Calamities were part of Zodiark's stated price to bring back the Ancients, but just collateral damage in their efforts to Rejoin the shards to create a proper stage for the real sacrifice.

Judging by the actions of the Ascians, they clearly have to be stopped. And since they themselves credit their motivations to Zodiark, I don't know what else Zodiark might have expected them to do.